Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is
an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use
your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite
synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like
GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output
for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a
synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI
keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear.
And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

OT: That's a good list to make Music for Work = Produce Finished Goods.

I think many are making a form of Live Playing or just Playing as an activity
and they drop many of the stop/freeze/convert/final mix steps of the production line
and use DAP's = Digital Audion Playgrounds. I guess a similar list for a great DAP might make
a good thread.

It's so instructive when you watch a master craftsman demonstrate a Live Session and
how the tools are used for that experience. There's a knowledge of User Interface that involves Buttons, Knobs, Sliders, Pads, keyboard controllers, mixers, loopers, Apps and Live instrumental audio all centered around the iPad for power, flexibility, low cost and
(wait for it) "travel-ability". Low a low-cost Akai Force which is probably the current best
Hardware DAP.

I respect work but I'd rather be playing. Having someone pay you to play is as good as it gets. The fact that's it Live is usually the attraction. Any obvious recording is "Karaoke" to the masses. Looping at least shows that you made the recording just a few seconds ago.

Can of worms? New thread? a-DAP't or get back to work. Demo a Live session with a real DAW and it can be called a DAWP. Who let the DAWP's out?

@Korakios said:
Full midi implementation . Midi learn for everything, including views, actions ....
And midi feedback for some controllers.

Please try to be more concrete
What is a „full MIDI implementation“?
Or do you mean „MIDI Learn“ with this?

Going to add „MIDI Learn“ above ...

Also, i don‘t understand what you mean with „MIDI feedback“.
Do we have this already in an iOS DAW?

With full midi implementation, I mean midi learn But could be used beside solo,mute,sends, transport , for changing the view (Mixer, track, edit, scene) or editing (insert marker, nudge, normalize, change length etc...)
Also all midi messages should be supported , including relative midi CC, N/RPNs....

With midi feedback I mean that the DAW should send to a controller, information about the mixer status (channels that might be in mute,solo state, the sends and level status etc)
Useful for controllers with leds ...

There's two way communication between the DAW app and the hardware controller so that if you update a MIDI controlled parameter in the DAW it’s reflected in the hardware MIDI controller and vice versa (e.g. via a screen on the MIDI hardware). For example, some controllers have endless rotary knobs and the two way communication feedback allows you to know where the parameter is on the hardware versus non-feedback MIDI control where you only know once you adjust the controller again. With non-endless knobs, the position of the knob gives an indication of where the parameter is.

Some functionality I would like:

MIDI

MIDI-CI

MIDI MPE

MIDI PC

support for various resolutions of MIDI CC control (e.g. 7 bit, 14 bit).

MIDI filters

An ability to create MIDI busses within the DAW.

AUv3

AUv3 automation control and recording.

MIDI effect apps option to record their MIDI

Configure MIDI routing between apps, hardware, and tracks.

Save MIDI configuration setups as presets.

Save AUv3 presets within the DAW app with a user controllable directory structure.

Support Sample Instruments

SFZ

SF2

EXS24

File Storage

A directory with user created directories.

User directories accessible in the Files app.

Export/Import zip files for media supported by the DAW

Export/Import via the Files app.

Tags

Use a tagging system for various presets, projects, and files.

Factory tags

User tags

Audiobus 3 and IAA

The ability to load IAA apps with Audiobus 3 support so they have similar support features within the DAW. For example state savings.

Determine which sets of features and functions are available and active.

Save feature and function setups as presets.

Least common denominator detection. Will identify which aspect of a particular setup is limiting. E.g. latency, sample rate, or an apps I/O.

Support legacy protocol modes. E.g. an app hasn’t been updated to the latest Link protocol, you could designate a specific Link version to run. These legacy support settings can be saved as presets.

Look Ahead Update System iOS developers, Beta testers, and first iOS update responders will send feedback to a knowledge base which notifies the user of the effects of updating apps or iOS will have on their intended update actions.

A configurable automated system of user set warning levels will set the alerts and actions which will effect how the DAW’s Look Ahead Update System will interact or automatically function for the user. There will be factory and user presets for this.

An ability to share presets between iOS devices, different OSes for DAW, and different users.

An ability to set which features, functions, and project assets are available when sharing or collaborating on a project including user accounts with associated protocols and passwords.

@InfoCheck
Ableton Live Set Import
I don't think there is an api for that ...
and you need to clone every single live device
forget this
only Ableton would be able to do this
(export just renders audioclips to work around this - missing plugin thing)

@Max23 said:@InfoCheck
Ableton Live Set Import
I don't think there is an api for that ...
and you need to clone every single live device
forget this
only Ableton would be able to do this
(export just renders audioclips to work around this - missing plugin thing)

What I was thinking of was being able to import the Ableton Live sets created by various iOS apps and have the DAW be able to import these in a useful way.

Your take would require an iOS version of Ableton which I believe many people would welcome too.

I short terms, what should I add above - for a proper definition of a DAW, not including "nice to haves" but "what is required"?

What is required depends on what you want to do and how you want to do it. It also matters if you’re going to do all of the mixing and mastering your self as well as where you intend on distributing it.

I really don’t believe there is any such thing as a proper definition of a DAW outside of the context of a specific musician’s workflow and goals. This is a much more subjective question than even one like what is the perfect guitar or piano.

Fundamentally a DAW is a tool a musician uses to create music. I firmly believe the tool should serve the musician rather than having the musician conform to the requirements or limitations of the tool. Of course the musician may not always be able to have the tools they would like for any number of reasons nor should this prevent them from trying to create music although it can certainly limit what sorts of music they decide to create with a specific DAW. I think this helps to explain why not every DAW is like every other DAW nor is there any consensus on which DAW is the best.

My list is what I would like and certainly other people will not have the same preferences or needs in a DAW.

What I was thinking of was being able to import the Ableton Live sets created by various iOS apps and have the DAW be able to import these in a useful way.

I like the idea of this, if DAW’s had import + export, would be a good way of sharing projects from iOS Daw to Daw which is often wanted too.

I think a universal iOS import/export for DAW apps would be a good idea especially if you could use the same files via a shared document space rather than have to make copies of them to use in various DAWs. You’d be able to leverage the unique features of a particular DAW so that you can freely work on your project in various DAWs accordingly. This would facilitate collaboration without filling up your iOS device and backing up project files would be more straightforward. In addition, DAW developers would be enabled to focus on a more coherent approach without needing to feel pressured to check all of the feature boxes in order to be relevant.

Perhaps the question @tja originally asked could be more appropriately asked at this level. What functions and features should be part of such a DAW import/export standard?

Clearly one of the big issues would be if there are DAW specific MIDI generated synth sounds or effects are specific to that DAW (e.g. Obsidian in Nanostudio 2) and only work inside that DAW. These parts of a project would need to be rendered to audio to be audible in another DAW. This would point to plug-ins as the way forward as they work in any DAW that supports the plug-in standard.

I for one would welcome AUv3 versions of Obsidian, the Korg apps, and Gadgets so that I can use them in my iOS DAWs of choice with state savings rather than being restricted to using them in their current format. Conceivably there could still be baked in synths for a DAW and the AUv3 version of the DAW could be a separate purchase or bundled with purchasing the DAW to facilitate being able to use multiple DAWs or enable someone to stay with a main DAW and not have to pay for AUv3 versions of its synths or effects. apeMatrix already has some AUv3 apps it comes with that are not for sale individually but can be used in other apps, especially Audiobus 3, to enhance their functionality.